Ron Stephens obituary

Ron Stephens in his navy days, right, and wearing his medals at a memorial. He was the last surviving member of HMS Tarana

Ron Stephens, who has died aged 91, was awarded the Croix de Guerre and Silver Star as a result of his wartime activities. Called up in 1940, he was selected for an MI9 operation as a crew member on a Dutch-built trawler that had sailed to Southampton with refugees from France.

This vessel was requisitioned, armed and renamed HMS Tarana; its existence was concealed on the admiralty Pink List. The Tarana would leave Gibraltar in navy grey, be repainted black as a traditional Portuguese fishing vessel and then be repainted grey on her return. The vessel was used to deliver "parcels" (mainly specially trained agents) and collect escapees, returning agents and others from the south coast of France. This escape line was established by Pat O'Leary (the alias used by the resistance fighter Albert-Marie Guérisse).

Ron was one of the 33-strong crew and hid the fact that he was an experienced sailor, feeling that for half a crown a day he was giving enough value. However, asked to row a heavy load, he responded enthusiastically. The captain, having observed Ron's skill, promoted him to able seaman on the spot, giving him orders to teach two of the officers how to row. Ron's first "parcel" included O'Leary himself. The risk of discovery was huge, but many hundreds were repatriated by this route, until it was betrayed in 1943. The vessel was switched to similar seaborne operations based in Algiers and elsewhere on the coasts of the Mediterranean. In 1944 HMS Tarana was the first allied vessel to enter liberated Marseille.

From an early age, Ron had sailed with his father, an inshore fisherman. Ron was born near Poole lifeboat station in Dorset, where his father served as a volunteer. He had happy memories of attending the National school there, but Ron's real education was in the Missions to Seamen's recreation room, where get-togethers led to plays, monologues, songs and stories. He was taken on as an office boy at a local flour mill when he left school.

Ron was the last survivor of the Tarana's crew. When demobbed, he returned to civilian life, became a fisherman and married Kathleen.

I met Ron in his later years, in connection with publishing his memoirs, which appeared as HMS Tarana: Under Two Flags in 2007.

Kathleen died in 2005. Ron is survived by his children, Gillian and Roger, and two grandchildren.